Still Confused
by 3raserAuthor
Summary: If there is one thing Emma can't understand is why men always seem to want her in the end, afterall it's not rocket science that a certain ex-mayor is more beautiful and intelligent then herself and if men took the time to get to know her they'd find there's more to the woman than meets the eye. Maybe Emma should give it a go?
1. Not Ours, Ours

**Okay this is my first story that I posted to and you can thank 'BlackHelix' for that as she got me into OUaT and SwanQueen and told me to write any ideas that come to mind on . So here it is I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Disclaimer**** - Don't Own Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Okay so Graham was perhaps the only one that had reverted away from Regina and gone to Emma instead but it still confused the hell out of Emma how blind men seemed to be. Sure she was blonde, fit and the savior but Regina was sexy, beautiful, intelligent and absolutely stunning even though she was somewhat confused. There was so much more to Regina that meets the eye and Emma could see that. Emma could see the pain that was held ever so deeply in Regina's eyes as it was the same lonely, betrayed sense of pain that she had felt her entire life.

Despite what her parents or Storybrooke may think if she spoke her thoughts out loud herself and Regina seemed to have a lot in common right down to the point where they would argue, scream and throw punches all just to feel something even if it was pain - especially if it was pain, that was all either of them seemed to have left to feel. Sure she had Henry but Henry equaled pain as well especially when she found everytime she looked at the boy she saw Regina, she saw the years she had been without the little boy, she saw what taking him away from Regina had done to the woman - truthfully Emma couldn't blame her for any of the hatred Regina felt towards her. No she wouldn't blame her.

Sitting at the counter she continued head resting on her palm as she stared at Regina who was sat having breakfast by herself in one of the diner booths whilst Hook, Neal and August argued behind her. It was over Henry and who was the better swordsman Neal, Hook or August, personally Emma didn't want either of them teaching Henry, none of them were the boys family, sure Neal was by blood but he had only provided the sperm and then abandoned her to prison where she had to put her son up for adoption. Funny how things work out that way.

In someway she should thank Neal for everything he did to her. If it wasn't for him Emma would never have given Henry up for adoption, Regina wouldn't have adopted him, Henry would never have come looking for her, she would never have ended up in Storybrooke and she would never have met Regina Mills - a woman with a difficult past.

"Who do you think she teach Henry?" Neal spun towards her and inquired.

Emma was jolted out of her thoughts as she turned to face the three men standing there awaiting an answer. Three completely different men; Neal who she had at one time believed was her true love, she loved him to the point she would have given her life for him. Then there was Hook who she had a small amount in common with and then there was August a man who had done nothing but be there for her until she had found out he was one of the reasons Neal had abandoned her for.

With a shrug she looked towards Regina, "Why don't you ask Henry's mother?"

Neal straightened when his eyes landed on the brunette sitting at the booth alone. "She is not Henry's mother and she will have nothing to do with our son."

Emma's head snapped around and she stood. "Not our son," she pointed between herself and Neal. "Our son," she pointed between herself and Regina. "Henry has nothing to do with you apart from sperm. I gave birth to him and Regina cared for him for ten years."

"Why are you defending her?" August inquired in his calming voice.

"Why shouldn't I? Give me one reason why I shouldn't? Give me one example how we aren't all the same?" Emma pointed out and awaited an answer. None came and with a nod she moved over to the table. Standing in front of the former Mayor she stared down at the woman. "Is this seat taken?"

Regina looked up at the woman and with a sigh folded up the paper she was reading and stood. "It's all yours Miss Swan."

"I meant to sit with you Regina."

"I have no intention of conversing Miss Swan." With that Regina paid for the coffee and breakfast before making her way towards the door. She stopped hand latched to the handle as she looked over her shoulder back at the blonde. "Make no doubt about it Miss Swan, Henry is not my son you and he have both made point of that."

Emma watched as Regina left. She watched the confidence in the other womans stride. The strength in the womans posture. The resistance to breaking down, to appearing weak in front of others. Why would men choose somebody like herself over someone like Regina? Why would men not take the time to get to know Regina? She was worth every moment of time and in that moment Emma swore she would be the one to get to know Regina.

**Okay this is more than likely going to be a small story in other words no more then 10 chapters probably even less and it will end with a happy SwanQueen ending as should the actual show. Hope everyone enjoyed reading the first chapter.**


	2. One Week Later

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed I'm glad your all enjoying it.**

**Disclaimer**** - Don't Own Once Upon A Time.**

Emma strode with purpose up to the large white building with a '108' nailed into the door. She was determined to get to know Regina. Just one date and she could prove to herself and to all the men out there that Regina was worth getting to know, that she was worth all the expense. Sure she had done some dreadful things but nobody seemed to question what made her do what she did. Or why she was like she was, or the many other questions that lingered in her mind.

Emma straightened her read jacket raised her fist and knocked one, twice, three times and waited. A few second passed and she did it once again, when no answer came she called out to the occupant she knew lived inside. "Regina I know your home open up!"

The door was roughly yanked open and in it's step stood the brunette dressed in black tailored pants and a white button down shirt that's top two buttons were left undone. "Yes Miss Swan?"

"I can handle a day Regina, hell I can handle three days but a week. Seriously one whole week you vanish and all because I requested to sit with you."

Regina crinkled her brow. "What are you going on about Miss Swan?"

"The diner last week. When I told Neal and the others to stuff it were the sun don't shine and when I made it abundantly clear that Henry was _our _son and not his. You haven't spoken to me, haven't been seen, hell haven't even concocted a plan to secure revenge, you haven't even contacted Henry. Hell I can understand and follow through with three days but a whole week Regina." Emma breathed in deeply, "I drive past you house everyday looking for a sign of you and I haven't seen any. What are you hiding from? What's so scary that you can't come out and face me or anyone else?"

Regina's brow furrowed even more in confusion. "Are you feeling alright Miss Swan? Usually people are happy when I'm not anywhere within visible sight."

Emma shook her head. "For the first two days people were fine. By the third people began to think you were plotting a disastrous plan and now...now people are just bored. Believe it or not your happen to produce a lot of excitement for the town."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sorry for not trying to incinerate anyone in a long time. Now if you could please get off my porc-"

Emma slammed her hand against the white door when Regina moved to shut it. "Have you concocted some secret spell in here?"

"Miss Swan if we are going to converse at least make sense."

"God I can't stop thinking about you. I'm kind of becoming a stalker. Your everywhere. I see an apple I think of you. I think of food I think of you. I look at Henry I see and think of you. I smell that apple scent and the first thing that comes to mind is you. God damnit I get in my bug and the first thing I think is how you despise my yellow machine. Your everywhere." Emma shook her head trying to force away the thoughts that had been driving her mad for a week.

The whole she had literally been seeing, thinking and smelling Regina everywhere she went which was insane because Regina hadn't left her house for the whole week. It was craving, addiction, it seemed as if she needed to see Regina everyday to be able to provide her with her dose to stop her from going crazy.

"Miss Swan I think you have finally lost it."

"Why won't you let people get to know you?" Emma asked.

Regina blinked. "I don't need people Miss Swan. Needing people is a weakness."

"I'm not talking about needing people. I'm talking about letting people in. What are you so scared off?"

"Why do you care?"

Emma flinched slightly. _Why did she care? Why did any of this matter? _Somewhere deep down she knew. She knew why she had been craving the woman for the whole week, why she had been walking around town snapping at random people, why she had nearly decided to push Leroy out of the cop while it was still moving.

"Let me in. I can't promise you I can help but I will try."

Regina furrowed her brow again. "Your completely insane that or drunk Miss Swan and I would very much appreciate it if you get off my porch."

"I'm not leaving until you agree to talk to me. To help me to understand why you are like you are." Emma stated.

"I don't think Nea-"

Emma snapped, "Fuck Neal. FuckAugust. Fuck Hook. Fuck every guy that comes within a hundred miles of me and definitely fuck any guy that comes within in a two hundred miles of you and tries to pretend that they give a damn. I've seen them, they either use you or you use them but I'm telling you now...give me a chance. I won't let you use me because I care about you."

"Miss Sw-"

"What will it take to get you to agree?"

"Miss Swan, get off my porch." Regina looked Emma in the eye and dared Emma to challenge her.

Emma stepped forward grabbed at Regina's button up shirt and yanked the older woman towards her kissing her hard and furiously trying to put all the emotions she felt behind that one kiss. She knew it wasn't possible to do such a thing. She felt way to much for the woman that even in a hundred years she still wouldn't be able to show the former Mayor everything she was feeling. Still damnit it...she was determined to try.

Emma pulled away and took a step back so she was back on the porch again with distance between herself and Regina. God she wanted back on those lips, she wanted to kiss them again but this time run her hands through the brunette's soft hair and over the woman's body. "Go out with me."

Regina looked away from Emma for a few seconds looking as if she were considering it. A minute later she turned back and shook her head. With regret etching her features, "I'm sorry Miss Swan I can't." She said and with that Regina shut the door with a click leaving Emma standing on the opposite side of the door in the silent of the night.

**Okay hopefully everyone enjoyed. As you might notice I'm jumping straight into it because it's going to be a short story and I believe the actual show has done enough of the build up that this story can jump straight into it. Hopefully it didn't disappoint. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible along with the next 'Addicted To You' chapter.**


	3. I Want To Get To Know You! The Real You!

**Sorry for the long wait.**

Emma slipped in across from Regina in the booth at Granny's diner. "Regina." She nodded with a smile.

"Miss Swan?" Regina asked with a raised brow.

"So I was thinking how about tonight five o'clock?" Emma asked.

"Miss Swan give up it's not going to happen."

"Why?" Emma asked with genuine sadness in her voice. "Why can't you just go on one date with me? Look I may not be good enough fo-"

"Miss Swan stop!" Regina exclaimed earning looks from the towns people in the diner. Lowering her voice she spoke again, "Miss Swan just stop okay." Regina stood dropped a note on the table and left the diner without another word.

"What did Miss Bitch do now?" Neal asked sliding into the seat that Regina previously occupied.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes before looking across the table at the man in front of her. "What do you want now?"

Clearing his throat he spoke. "I was thinking we could take Henry and go fishing or something. Just as three a family."

"What part of your not part of his family don't you get?" Emma asked her voice rising.

"But that bitch is?"

Emma jumped up from her spot banging her knee against the table, ignoring the pain she glared at the man across from her. "She's been a better parent than you have or ever could be," with a scoff Emma continued, "Let's face it she's been a better parent than the two of us have ever been." _Henry? _Emma smirked and quickly returned her attention to Neal. "No matter what my parents say Neal, you and I and Henry. This is not a family."

* * *

Regina yanked open the door too a smiling Henry and a beaming Emma rocking back and forfth on her heels carrying two bags of food in her hands.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed launching himself into the brunette.

A small 'omph' emitted from Regina before she encircled her arms around the small boy. A content sigh escaped her lips. It had been so long since she had hugged Henry. Breaking apart after a few seconds, Regina ran her hand over her sons neatly tidied hair. His clothes were pressed and he was still expensively dressed and cleaned, just like Regina had taught him his whole life. It was good to know that he had in fact taken something away with him that Regina had taught him.

Looking up at the blonde still standing on her doorstep rocking back and forth on her heels patiently as she waited to be noticed. "Miss Swan," she nodded polietly.

"I come baring food," Emma said holding up the two paper brown bags. "May I enter?" She asked with a small smirk.

A roll of her eyes and Regina took a step back holding the door open for Emma. She couldn't say no to the blonde, not with her son in the room. "Please tell me you at least brought edible food?"

"Define edible."

"Food that won't clog arteries or make me gain a few hundred pounds."

Henry chuckled. "She got you the salad with apples."

"Really?" Regina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know it's your favorite." Emma gave a small smile setting the bags on the dining table as Henry quickly ran off to gather some plates and eating utensils.

"Miss Swan you do realize that bringing my son over will not get me to go on a date with you?"

Emma smiled. "We'll talk about that."

"There's nothing to ta-"

"Hey mom," Henry said coming back carrying plates and forks and knives. "I have a science project coming up involving volcanes but Emma knows nothing about them. I was wonder-"

"Of course Henry, you don't have to ask." She said affectionately with a smile.

"Great Emma has everything in the car."

Pulling her keys from the pocket Emma held them out to the boy who quickly snatched them out of her hands and scampered out of the house.

"Came prepared did you Miss Swan?"

"I always come prepared," Emma replied with a wink at Regina who rolled her eyes.

A few hours later and Regina, Henry and Emma circled the coffee table in the living room. The TV was pushed back away from their mess, as was the couch and any surrounding furniture that could get dirtied by their equipment. Henry had the tip of his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth, eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated on paper meshing the volcano. Emma picked up bits and pieces of the news paper and other equipment they had used that had ended up making a mess in the room.

Dinner had surprisingly gone smoothly. Henry talked about school and even about his training with Charming. Regina took interest in both subjects but Emma could tell she wasn't happy with the time that Henry was spending with Charming, yet she remained quite on the subject. A few questions were raised about his time being spent with August, Hook and Neal but when the boy spoke with little enthusiasm towards the subject Emma swore she could see the raised corner of Regina's mouth.

Taking a step back Emma heard the crack as she stepped on the small switch. The bubbling of the volcano alerted her to exactly which switch she had stepped on and in a matter off seconds it erupted covering Regina and Henry in an orange goo. She smiled innocently when two death glares were shot her way. The volcano obviously destroyed.

"Mom?" Henry drew Regina's attention away from Emma and with a mirrored smirk of Regina he said, "I think Emma needs to be punished."

Regina's smirk widened as she reached down gathering the soggy glue newspaper mesh. Hurling it towards Emma until it landed with a soggy _Splat! _on Emma's shirt. A matter of seconds later and the three occupants of the Mayor's mansion was in all out war hurtling soggy glue newspaper in all directions and at different targets. Laughter taking over the inside of the house.

* * *

Hours later Emma stepped into the living room straightening out the clothes Regina had leant her. She watched for a few seconds as Regina moved around the living room picking up bits and pieces of glue paper. Henry had gone to bed claiming exhaustion. Emma glared as she noticed it was the boys way to get out of cleaning up the mess he partially made.

"You had fun, don't deny it."

Regina stood up from her bent over position to look at Emma. "I had not intentions of doing so Miss Swan."

Emma smiled. "Could you call me Emma?"

With a roll of her eyes Regina said, "Emma?"

"Yes Regina?"

"You have a bit of glue newspaper still in your hair." Regina smirked before waving the woman over, "Let me get it out."

Emma moved towards the brunette, stepping up to the woman she waited for the assistance to come and a few seconds it did. Regina took a closer step forward and reached up towards the offending sticky object. Giving it a small tug she realized it was quite tangled and already beginning the process of hardening. Using both hands she reached for it quickly untangling it from unruly blonde hair.

As Regina was going to take a step back, Emma reached out grabbing hold of the brunette's wrists. "Your so beautiful you know that."

Regina's eyes widened as she looked towards Emma. The sincerity in the blonde's words never failed to surprised her. "Miss Sw-" She didn't have a chance to respond to that as blonde bent slightly and pressed her lips on Regina's. It took a split second for Regina to know what was happening before she responded eagerly her wirsts slipping free from their grasp.

Grabbing hold of the shirt of hers Emma was sporting, she pulled the blonde closer until it fully registered the extent of what she was doing. She allowed herself a few more seconds to toy with the idea before pushing and spinning away from dazed Emma Swan."Miss Swa-" Once again she was interrupted but this time with words.

"You like apples in your salad. Apples are in fact your favorite fruit, obviously." Emma said with a small roll of her eyes before continuing quickly before Regina could speak, "You always have an ice team with lime in it, not lemon. You always eat breakfast at the diner on Wednesday's. You always have dinner at the diner on Monday's and you always order the same grilled chicken with rissoto rice. You do your gardening on a Sunday but lately you've been doing it everyday bits and pieces since you have nothing else to do." Taking a deep breath she continued, "Saturday's used to be game night for you and Henry. Henry would pick the game and you guys would play it. Friday you used to get home early from work so you could help Henry with any projects he had in the upcoming week. Tuesday's you would complete as much as the work as possible before you went to sleep so you could prepare for the rest of the week with Henry. You always make sure you have time for Henry. I know that since the line no longer interfers with the outside world that you've been donating to charity. I know that you sit out front of the stables on the second Tuesday of every month for a few hours before leaving, but you never go inside or see the horses you just sit in your car staring at the building." Taking a another deep breath she continued, "I know Henry is the most important person in your life. I also know that you locked the spell book in the safe over by the fire not so you could keep it if ever needed but so you could be tempted to use it and every time you were you could remind yourself why you weren't using magic anymore. I kn-"

Regina pressed two fingers to Emma's lips silencing the blonde. "Do you have a point Miss Swan? Or are you just interested in building the case against yourself when I lay charges for stalking?" She asked with a small smile. She was surprised she wouldn't deny it.

"The point is," Emma said with a smile of her own, "I know all that stuff about you and yet I don't know you."

Regina blinked. Brows furrowing, she had a feeling she knew where this was going but she refused to answer. "What do you mean? By the sounds of it you know me better than myself."

"I mean I know the you now but I don't know the you from before, the you from fairytale land, the reason behind everything you did. The you behind the facade." Emma took hold of Regina's wrists again, "I want to know everything about you Regina."

"Miss Swan you keep talking like that and I'll start to think you love me." Regina said with a nervous chuckle.

"What would be so wrong with loving you Regina?"

"I'm incapable of loving, not to mention being loved in return. You deserve better." With a cringe Regina corrected herself, "Perhaps not August, Hook or Mr. Cassidy."

Emma chuckled. "If I don't deserve you I don't deserve anyone. No one could possibly up you."

"I've done a lot of horrible things Emma."

Emma shook her head, "So what we all have at one point and so you kiled a few people. Kidnapped a few others and tried to kill my mom and dad on numerous occassions but I don't believe that's you. Underneath it all I see the scared you."

"I'm not scared Miss Swan, I fear nothing."

"Emma," Emma corrected the brunette. "Perhaps you don't fear the physical things in life but you do fear getting hurt again and that's where all the walls and hatred comes from. It's a defense mechanism you've created."

"What do you want from me Emma?" Regina asked finally resigning herself to the blonde Sheriff's first name.

"I want to get to know you. All of you."

**Hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter. It is a quick story so don't get mad if it's rushing things a little quickly.**


	4. Trying To Make You See

**This is a little flighty but as I said it's a sure story, still looking towards 10 chapters. Never know though. Thank you every one of my readers, reviewers, followers and favoriters.**

**OOO**

Emma stood at Regina's door at exactly seven o'clock, flowers in hand, dressed in a black t-shirt with her signature red jacket and jeans. She remembered Regina declaring she wanted no fancy date just something simple and un-complex. So for the past four days Emma ran through non-fancy, non-complex dates in her head and eventually came up with a good one...or she hoped was a good date. She had to please Regina. If this didn't work out then Regina would never open up to her, she and Regina would never be anything more than a distant memory and that's not what she wanted to be to Regina.

Raising her hand she moved to knock when the door was pulled open and there stood Regina dressed in her red turtleneck sweater and dress pants. Emma gave a warm smile after a few minutes off running her eyes up and down over Regina's figure. "You ready?" She asked causing Regina to roll her eyes at the obvious elation in the woman's voice.

"As I'll ever be." She answered with a small sigh that didn't sound so much as disappoint as it did fear of the unexpected.

Before they made to move forward with their night, Emma thrust the flowers she held out towards Regina with a smile on her face. "I didn't know which was your favorite so I got you one of each from the store...I figured one of them was bound to be to your liking."

A small 'real' smile reached Regina's lips at that as she took the bouquet with an assortment of floral. It had a red bow tied around the middle to keep them all together and apparently the stems were cut to perfect length, not allowing one of them to be taller than the other. "Come in while I put these in water." Regina motioned towards the foyer and quickly strode inside with Emma following behind. "I'm surprised."

"About me bringing you flowers?" Emma asked as she stepped into the connection between the dining room and the kitchen to find Regina filling up a vase with water.

"That to, but more so the fact that you don't know my favorite flower." Regina shifted the flowers until it was equally spread in the vase and each one was showing. "As a stalker you seem to be lacking somewhat."

Emma cracked a smile and with a small chuckle she shrugged lightly. "I'm new to the business, but I don't seem to be doing too bad, after all I am getting a date with the woman I'm stalking." She grinned and continued, "How many stalkers can say that's happened for them?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Miss Swan. This date is only happening to get you off my back."

Emma's smiled faded somewhat. "I wish you'd let me in."

**OOO**

Emma smiled towards Regina as they walked side by side across the street towards Storybrooke Park. It wasn't located very far from the brunette's mansion and Regina had to smile at that thoughtful gesture on the blonde's part. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, it was still thoughtful. If she needed to run from this at any point, she didn't have far to go. Emma was giving her a way out if she needed it. She wasn't trapped and for that she was grateful.

Emma moved ahead a little distance and waited for Regina to stride up to her. "Okay, so you asked for nothing fancy and something un-complex. Well, I ran through hundreds of scenarios and came up with this," she twisted her body allowing Regina the view of the picnic basket and blanket set up on the green grass. "Trust me. It could have been worse. I was thinking bowling at one point but...that soughta went out the window."

"I'm grateful for that." Regina said with the small smile once again on her face, "I'm grateful for all you are trying to do Miss Sw-"

"Emma. Please."

"Emma."

Emma grinned, "Now come on. There's food, food that wasn't cooked by me."

That was enough to convince Regina that the date so far, was going perfectly. She moved to sit down on the blanket Emma had just dropped down onto. Taking her seat on the empty spot beside Emma she watched the woman pull out plate after plate of food and small tubs of an assortment of fresh food and dipping sauces.

"I didn't want to choose what you had to eat, so I sought of just brought a little of everything." An innocent smile thrown over her shoulder to Regina continued, "Hope you'll like at least one of the selections. I'm sure you will actually but if not we can go in search of something you actually like."

They ate for the better part of an hour keeping to safe topics of conversation such as Henry, work and other small in sequential things. After eating Emma placed the empty plates and leftovers back in the basket before pushing it aside and lying back on the picnic blanket. She gave a warm smile up at Regina and motioned with a pat on the spot on the blanket next to her, for Regina to join her in a stargazing attempt. Luckily it worked and Regina scooted down beside Emma and together for a good, long while they laid staring up at the stars in comfortable, companionable silence that was promising.

"I see Henry has been spending time with Neal."

Emma turned on her side, propping her head up with her hand as she stared down into the partially moonlit brown eyes of the woman she could honestly admit she had fallen for somewhere along the line. Perhaps it was from the first day she had ever seen her. Perhaps afterwards, all she knows that she's so far gone there's no turning back now.

"As much as I don't like, I can't deny him that right. He is Henry's father."

Regina grumbled lightly but didn't dismiss it. She couldn't because Emma was right."But he's insisted from you that you keep Henry away from me, hasn't he?"

Emma nodded. She had no plans on lying to the woman. "Yes. But I'm not going to. I may have had him and he might be a byproduct from Neal but you...you raised him for ten years. I think that makes you as much his parent, even more so his parent than either Neal or me." Emma said sincerely before adding, "He misses you."

"Who? Neal?" Regina asked with genuine confusion in her voice.

Emma laughed. "No. Henry." She smiled lightly before continuing, "And I know you miss him to."

"Of course I miss him." Regina retorted pushing up onto her elbows, "No matter what he may think of me, I will always see him as my son."

"Our son." Emma corrected and earned a small genuine smile from the brunette.

"Our son," she nodded. Lying back down on the blanket properly she gazed back up at the stars as she spoke, "I wanted to thank you, for bringing Henry over the other day and although the Volcano had been a complete disaster and I'm still finding glue in the most unusual of places, it was...fun and enjoyable. So thank you."

Emma shrugged but was internally jumping for joy. "You know Henry has another project coming up next week. Apparently he has to build a scaled model of something to do with certain aspects and civilizations throughout history. I have no idea what I'm doing, so..."

"I'd be happy to help."

"Awesome. Friday sound good?"

"Sounds perfect Mis-Emma."

**OOO**

Emma stared dreamingly and blatantly at the brunette woman across the room as she sipped her hot cocoa. She hadn't requested a second date at the end of that night, she didn't want to push the woman into anything and it seemed to have worked. Regina spoke to her more they conversed about today, Friday, the day they would build the scale model for Henry with the little boys help. A grin slipped onto her face, reaching from one ear to the next.

"You keep staring lass and you're going to burn a hole in her head. Than what will you do? What will you stare at then?"

Emma's snapped her head around to find Hook slipping into the seat of the booth, his hook tapping lightly on the table as he mischievously grinned. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologies for not saying anything on yours and the Queen behalf a few weeks ago when Bae and Mr. Booth spoke up against Regina being Henry's mother. At first I had to agree but I've seen her with that boy and I've seen you two together. I mean you haven't even taken your eyes of her since she walked in until now. So I apologies for assuming the worst."

"Really?"

Hook gave a shrug, "As long as you are both happy and the boy is happy and nobody has to die for happy endings or nobodies happy en- you know what I mean. As long as everything is okay, I don't care what happens."

"So you don't have a crush on me?"

"Never said that lass but never said I did either. It doesn't matter I'm happy and content in making Gold's life miserable with him having to watch his back for the rest of his life." Hook almost laughed at that.

"I heard Henry wants learning the ropes of sailing a pirate's ship from you?"

Hook shrugged casually, "It was the Queen's decision actually. She asked me to teach him something recreational."

"You've spoken to Regina?"

Hook tilted his head. "Surprisingly yes. She may have been tense but she was nothing but her terse, polite self. Very...Charming."

Emma rolled her eyes at the pirate's choice of words as her eyes shifted back to the brunette, now flicking through a newspaper.

**OOO**

"We need a Pyramid!" Henry declared from his spot beside Regina on the floor in the living room.

Emma sat across from them legs crossed as stared at the project in front of her. They had arrived at the mansion early, had dinner together and after spending a few minutes after dessert to let the food settle, they had begun construction on the long, time consuming project that now had three different history spots and was far from being complete from Henry's perspective.

In the first spot they had card cut out dinosaurs they had glue to the first section an asteroid hanging from the top of the section where it appeared to be hurtling towards the dinosaurs. A volcano in the background looking to be erupting and dark skies that looked ready to drop buckets of rain on the large reptiles. In another spot they had the Stone Age where everything was practically...very simple and yet back then Emma knew that would have been very modern. In another spot sat the Wild West of America, where saloons held horses outside for the drunks inside and two men were ready for a showdown, the Marshal arriving on his horse to break it up. It was covered with some light brown dusty dirt that they had secured from the gardening store and a small tumble weed that looked as if it were rolling past like it did in those Cowboy films.

Now currently they were working on Egypt, he already declared that they had to have a Palace, horses; Pharaoh's, Slaves and Pyramids. She wasn't sure he would be able to fit it all on the small section that was sitting there but with the help of his brunette mother, apparently they had. Even with the pyramids of Giza, all three of them and the Sphinx.

"Wow."

"Miss Swan?"

Emma looked up at Regina. "I'm just. God, I'm just thinking, if I had have known you when I was going to school and you completed all my projects, I may have actually passed."

Regina gave a small smile at that. Holding the back the sarcastic remark she had on the tip of her tongue. It had become a lot easier to hold back from her old ways but she wasn't at the point of complete mastery, it still tugged to allow to be let loose but she refused. "I'm sure you did well dear."

Emma scoffed at the thought. "Really? One day they asked me to make a scale model of pollution in our world. So I grabbed a matchbox car stuck it in a clear plastic box, put the lid over it and handed it in for class."

Regina's brow furrowed, "That actually makes sense."

Emma shrugged. "Perhaps. Either way I got a very bright red 'F' on my report that year."

"Hey!" Henry exclaimed, "Where did my Chico babes go?"

Emma stiffened and turned to the boy with an innocent smile on her face. "What did you need them for?"

"They were going to be people for _now_ times."

Regina laughed wholeheartedly at the blush creeping onto the blonde woman's face. "I think Emma just went cannibal Henry."

Henry glared for a few moments trying to remain serious before finally giving in and laughing along with his mother. Emma just shrugged after a while. She was just happy to be called 'Emma' by Regina without her having to tell her.

"You don't put lollies on a school project. It's...it's...inhumane!" Emma declared. "They are supposed to be eaten."

"Excuses, excuses." Regina said with a 'tsk'.

Emma waved her off with a playful smile. "Whatever. You put a packet of Chico babes on the table in front of me and go about your own business and you expect me to resist them? To resist a packet of Chico babes! Lollies of all things!"

It when on for a while. Henry grumbling about how his blonde mother had eaten his people, Regina playfully chiding Emma over it and Emma making up excuse after excuse, declaring the Chico babes had tormented her and taunted her from their spot on the table until they had finally worn down her resistance and she had eaten them. It wasn't until it was almost two in the morning that they realized the time and Regina put the exhausted Henry to bed and offered Emma the spare bedroom. As Emma slipped under the covers she was quick to fall into a blissful sleep, the last thing on her mind as she shut herself down for the night, was off Regina, Henry and herself having the appearance of a family night. She could get used to that.

**TBC**


End file.
